Fabio Wardley came from behind again to stop Joseph Parker and set himself up for a shot at undisputed world title shot
British heavyweight Fabio Wardley pulled off the biggest win of his career with an enormous upset over Joseph Parker to set up a world title shot against Oleksandr Usyk.
In a pulsating contest at the O2 Arena, Wardley showed he has one of the toughest chins in the sport as he swallowed several huge punches from Parker before forcing referee Howard Foster to stop the bout in an explosive 11th round.
The WBO had ordered the experienced Parker to face undisputed world heavyweight champion Usyk in July but the New Zealander put his mandatory challenger status on the line against Wardley, who was still involved in white-collar boxing when his opponent was world champion in 2016.
Parker promised to be a “different level” to the 30-year-old and that appeared the case for much of the bout in London.
Wardley seemed to have missed out on the chance to stop the bout in a back-and-forth second round when Parker’s gumshield came out, forcing the referee to step in and paise the contest.
It appeared a sliding doors moment for the Ipswich right-hander as Parker began to take control over the middle rounds.
But ultimately he could not get his rival out, and Wardley roared back with an uppercut in the 10th session which had Parker in trouble, but another barrage from Brit was cut short by the bell.
But he did not let up, and landed a huge right to wobble the New Zealand in the 11th and a flurry of further punches forced a dramatic stoppage to continue his fairytale story in the sport.
“It sounds like a dream but this is real life. I’m proof of hard work, of passion, of never giving up,” said Wardley. “What I lack in experience, I make up for in chin, heart, and fight.
“I’m not taking anything away from Joe but I wasn’t hurting that much! I put my feet in silly positions but I wasn’t busted. I’ve said before I’m not the cleanest fighter – but I get the job done.”